In the coming year and beyond, my greatest hope is to ensure that my children receive the best education possible. I believe that education is the key to their future, allowing them to become responsible and independent members of society. I plan to use every opportunity to support their learning, whether it's through paying school fees on time, providing them with the necessary school supplies, or encouraging them to work hard in their studies. My dream is to see them grow into confident adults who can stand on their own and contribute positively to the world. As a parent, nothing would make me prouder than knowing that I gave them the foundation they needed to build a successful life.

I am a father of five school-going children, and I rely on agriculture to provide for my family. Over time, I have been able to acquire 26 sheep and three goats, all thanks to the monthly transfers. These animals have become a crucial part of our livelihood, helping me pay school fees for my children whenever the need arises. With my most recent three transfers, which amounted to $102, I first allocated $25 to cover my children's school fees. Education is a priority, and ensuring they stay in school is my way of securing a better future for them. After paying the fees, I invested $30 in buying another sheep, bringing the total number of sheep I own to 26. Each sheep is like a savings account, something I can rely on when the times get tough. Finally, with the remaining $47, I bought food to nourish my family. Providing enough food is essential, especially when raising a large family, and this transfer allowed me to meet that need without worry. The support from these transfers has truly made a difference in our lives, allowing me to steadily grow my livestock and ensure my children’s education and well-being.

As a livestock farmer, I am excited about the future and what I hope to accomplish in the coming year and beyond. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I now have 13 sheep, and my goal is to grow my herd even more. Once I have six rams, I plan to exchange them for a dairy cow. This will be a great investment for my family, providing us with milk and an additional source of income. A dairy cow will not only improve our nutrition but also offer financial stability.

Out of the recent transfers amounting to $102, I used $50 to buy two sheep as an investment, making my herd of sheep total 13. I opted to invest in sheep because they are cheap to maintain and have high market value. With sheep, I see a promising future for my farming venture, as they not only provide a steady income through sales but also produce wool and manure that can further support my farm. This investment reflects my commitment to improving our livelihood through sustainable and profitable farming practices. I also used $18 to buy food for my family of nine, ensuring that everyone had enough to eat. Providing for my family is my top priority, and knowing that they have food on the table brings me great peace of mind. For the remaining $34, I decided to save it to purchase a laptop for my daughter Neema, who is taking a teaching course at Galana Teachers College. The laptop is a requirement for her studies, and I am determined to support her education to the best of my ability. As a farmer, I am committed to changing the story of our history by providing the best opportunities for my children, and investing in Neema’s education is a crucial part of that journey.

My primary goal is to provide my daughter with a positive learning environment and assist her in achieving excellent grades. In pursuit of this, I am committed to settling the outstanding payments for her phone to prevent any possibility of repossession due to non-payment. Additionally, I intend to consistently contribute towards her school fees to ensure the uninterrupted completion of her studies. The support received through the transfers has been a source of great happiness, bringing essential peace to our family. Moreover, it has enabled me to address crucial needs, including the purchase of food.

Last year, my daughter enrolled at Galana Teachers Training College, pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher. A prerequisite for her admission was owning a smartphone. Given my limited income from livestock farming, I opted for a hire-purchase arrangement to secure the smartphone for her. I make monthly installment payments of $19 for the phone, and to date, I have paid a total of $57. The smartphone has proven to be a valuable tool for her education while she is at school. The remaining amount of $42 from the transfers was allocated to purchasing food. I am pleased to acknowledge that the financial support received has ensured that our family of eight never faces food shortages. The funds have consistently enabled us to meet our nutritional needs, and I express deep gratitude for the assistance provided through the transfers.

I plan to continue raising sheep. Currently, I have a total of eight sheep, all of which have been acquired through the cash transfers. Over a decade ago, I lost my job, and since then, I have embraced livestock rearing as my primary source of income. Initially, it was challenging to invest in livestock due to financial constraints. However, with the consistent support of these cash transfers, I have been able to acquire a considerable number of sheep. I aspire to increase this number to 20 in the upcoming years and beyond. I firmly believe that this will create enough wealth to support the education of my five children.

Since I began receiving these cash transfers, my goal has been to invest in livestock, and I'm thankful that this endeavor is progressing successfully. I used $44 from my recent cash transfers to purchase two sheep, which brought the total number of sheep in my herd to eight. I have a particular preference for sheep over other types of livestock because they have a higher reproductive rate, capable of breeding at least twice a year when provided with good feeding. I believe that this is a promising venture for building wealth, which will not only contribute to financing my five children's education but also expand my sources of income. The remaining $58 from the cash transfers was utilized to purchase essential food items for my family. I am delighted that ever since I started receiving these cash transfers, my family has been able to enjoy a more substantial breakfast, including donuts and tea. This was something we couldn't afford before receiving this financial assistance.

My utmost priority is to support the education of my three children and two nephews, for whom I have assumed guardianship after the passing of their father, my brother. Since most of the children are still in primary school, it will be a long journey before they complete their formal education. I would be happy to see that each of them successfully graduates from college. To achieve this, I firmly believe that investing in livestock rearing is the most viable means of financing their studies. Through the cash transfers, I have already begun building my sheep herd, and I hope to continue expanding it. As I grow my wealth through livestock keeping, I will sell some of the animals to cover the children's school fees.

As a farmer, my long-standing desire to rear sheep has finally become a reality with the help of cash transfers. In the past, financial constraints prevented me from engaging in this practice. Sheep, in particular, appeal to me due to their short gestation period and their ability to reproduce up to three times a year. Considering this, I am confident that my herd will grow rapidly, allowing me to accumulate wealth over time. I am grateful that the cash transfers provided me with the opportunity to purchase sheep. With $22 from the recent transfer, I acquired a sheep, increasing my herd to a total of eight. I spent the remaining $12 to buy breakfast supplies, ensuring that my family can enjoy meals like tea in the morning. Previously, this simple meal was beyond our reach, but now it has become a reality thanks to the cash transfers.

I bought new clothes and shoes for my kids using $34 from the transfers over the previous three months. They are still young, so they value Christmas. Always striving to appear well-groomed and intelligent, like other youngsters. They are usually upset with us whenever we do not get them new clothes. We are really grateful to GiveDirectly for their assistance in helping us purchase new, appropriate clothing for our kids. In addition, I spent $34 on food for my family members. My January money has not been sent yet, but when they do, I will use them to cover my kids' school expenses. I have eight children who are enrolled in both primary and secondary schools, but the income I receive from keeping livestock is insufficient to meet our needs as a family. For this reason, we are grateful that we were accepted into the program.

In my opinion GiveDirectly did very well by giving us support in form of cash. This gave us an opportunity to make informed decisions on what to spend the money on. It would have been a different case had we been given the support in terms of materials other than cash.

I am a father of 8 children with 6 of these children already in school. I rely on farming to raise income for supporting my family. When I received a sum of $30 recently, I used $15 to pay school fees for one of my children and used another $15 to buy a very young goat. I am targeting to improve my goat keeping business. I already have 13 goats and my target is to have one additional goat bought each month that I receive a transfer. These goats shall multiply within a very short time and they are also viable within our area. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for the support that has changed my life this far.

On the day I received my transfer, I was having high moments because my spirit had been in a jovial mood since the morning. I had no idea what was going on in my life, but I had a feeling it was a one-of-a-kind day. I heard a message notification around 4 p.m. while tending to my goats and sheep, and when I checked it, my joy multiplied. Receiving KES 3,050, which I had not expected at the time, was simply a sign that I was extremely fortunate. Without much thought, I planned to prioritize purchasing local hens and then used the remainder of my transfer to meet other needs, such as food acquisition.

Though I have been doing mixed farming, crop farming has not been yielding much thus causing my family to be in constant shortage of food. As a result, I resolved to focus more on livestock keeping. At the time I received my transfer, I opted to buy local domestic fowls that have added the number of my flock. Having the additional number of livestock courtesy of GiveDirectly transfer is the biggest difference in my life since I received my transfer.

Throughout my life, I have been dependent on mixed farming. I cultivate crops as well as raise livestock. I do not have a job but I always do farming. However, due to the unpredictability of rains, crops rarely do well in our region hence subjecting us to perpetual food shortage. To keep on supporting my family of ten members, I have been striving to raise livestock, both domestic fowls and goats. Therefore upon receiving my first transfer, I spent KES 1200 to buy a fully grown cock and a fully grown hen. The hen has begun laying eggs and I look forward to getting additional chocks soon. The remaining KES 1,800 helped us to obtain food that lasted two weeks. I am glad that during that period, I never had to struggle to feed my family.